DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time

/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #21  
Very nicely done. Looks better than the original cab and it is removable too.
Again, Nicely done!:thumbsup:
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #22  
Is there a connection from the bottom of the cab to the tractor frame?
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #23  
Nice work!
I also built one long time back but like to see other folks ideas.
Mine is kinda boxy looking and sometimes I get the urge to re-design it for a 'cooler look'.

I lately discovered a fantastic method of sealing the gaps; check out the seals used in public storage buildings. They are like strips of 3" bristled paint brushes and come in lengths of up to 6 ft and angled slightly. Keeps out rain, snow and wind and will not scratch the paint finishes.
Hands down over foams and felts!
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #25  
Cigar Face said:
Lookin god. Better hurry up though. Big snow will be here soon. I was out in the snow today. Only downside is you have to open door to let farts out

Maybe instead of opening the door just have a vent you can open to exhaust any excess gasses . Cigar face, do you open your door to let the farts out? How would you even come up with that thought. You must be a forward thinking guy! Impressive.
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time
  • Thread Starter
#26  
Had another productive day and got one door swinging (picture below). The goal is to paint on Friday. To answer a few questions that came up:

1. Yes it is made in sections. I posted a couple pics a day or so ago showing the connector plates I made up. They're installed with a weld on one side and bolts on the other.

2. The large pieces are the back / top together. Then there is the front section and two side sections.

3. When looking at the right side of the tractor the back/top section is made like an L rotated 90ー to the right. It attaches to the tractor via exiesting holes. The "lollipop" blinker holes were in just the right spot. It's also bolted through the (10mm?) welded-on nuts at the folding point of the ROPS.

3. The front bolts to the steel put there for the joystick on the right and a new matching (opposite hand) steel mount.

4. The cab fastens to the tractor at the six points described above. The lowest point of attachment is the joystick steel. The cab is quite sturdy even in its unfinished state. Today I was climbing the 1x1 steel tube on the right side to bolt up a connector on the far side. It was very solid and I'm no featherweight at 283#.

5. I'll check out those "brooms". At present nothing touches the painted body except a couple thick rubber washers where the lollipops were. I thought some rubber roofing would be good for blocking off the areas on either side of the hood.

19 small.jpg
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #27  
Cause it smelled like methane for a while and it was snowing hard. Didn't want to let the snow in the cab and the heat out. I opted to sniff the fart but made me light headed.
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #28  
Yes, that's the product except the version I used has 2.5 inch bristles.
I used it above my engine curved cowl below the windshield cross member where the space varies between 1 to 2.5 ins.
I also fitted 2 strips facing each other and pass the hydraulic hoses and heater lines.

I'd be willing to bet that some cab manufacturers will adopt this in future.

 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #29  
Cigar Face said:
Cause it smelled like methane for a while and it was snowing hard. Didn't want to let the snow in the cab and the heat out. I opted to sniff the fart but made me light headed.

That's disgusting! But funny!
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #30  
Cause it smelled like methane for a while and it was snowing hard. Didn't want to let the snow in the cab and the heat out. I opted to sniff the fart but made me light headed.

You could have lit the fart with your cigar lighter for a few extra BTU's of heat.
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time
  • Thread Starter
#33  
Plenty of gas in the shop today. Fortunately it's mostly oxygen, acetylene, argon and C25.

Another great day of "Staycation". Finished tacking the left door frame today. I'm glad I did the right side first because of the learning curve. The door that will be used has the benefit of some experience. I wanted "suicide doors" but wasn't able to go that route because of the shape of the cab. It could have worked but the hinges would have looked really goofy.

There's a really nifty saw I was using today. A Milwaukee rep dropped it off for us to play with. I forgot to get a picture of it. It slices through the 14 ga 1 x 1 tubing and sheet metal effortlessly. No sparks and the metal stays cool.

Picked up the paint, the amazingly nice gasket came from McM/C, a bud in the sheet metal shop bent a top today and it looks like painting could happen as early as tomorrow. Still some welding and finishing to get out of the way. So far I (actually "we" because a couple of the guys in the shop can't resist jumping in) have around 70 manhours in it and will probably have near 100 till I'm done with the wiper, heater and some revised lights.

Here's the left side with door:

20 small.jpg
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #34  
can any onf you guys suggest one of those donut seats? Been having problems as well where it is getting uncomfortable sitting on top of a hemroid about the size of a baseball. Any one else found a remedy besides a donut
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #35  
I'm curious, why did you not make the roof and back separate pieces? Would that not have made for easier storage and less cumbersome piece to install?
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #36  
can any onf you guys suggest one of those donut seats? Been having problems as well where it is getting uncomfortable sitting on top of a hemroid about the size of a baseball. Any one else found a remedy besides a donut

If there is a craft store nearby- they usually have foam in different thickness and density. You may be able to find something that you can put together in different layers with extra support where you need it and no padding where you really don't want it.
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time #37  
Looks very nice.
A more difficult design with tops of the doors angled in.
Very well executed.:thumbsup:
Just as an idea if you haven't already planned. Hidden hinges inside the doors similar to a gun safe design would look real sweet.
using a shaved pipe would offer a long hing that will support the door better with more strength and no chance of sagging with the tight seams you have. Also allows the doors to open with less chance of rubbing on frame work.
Tom
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time
  • Thread Starter
#38  
I'm curious, why did you not make the roof and back separate pieces? Would that not have made for easier storage and less cumbersome piece to install?

Great idea, and I should have done that. Didn't think of it at the time and it's something I'll have to live with. The sheet metal part of the top will be bolted on because it could end up bent juggling the large piece with it on.

Big Dooley - I'll post some pics of details when I get it all together. Hinges are 1/4" pipe wth pieces of round stock welded into bottom half so the door slides onto the pins. I did remember to make the bottom pin longer than the top pin so I could line up one at a time when installing the doors.

The tapered shape did add a degree of difficulty to the build, but I really wanted to have something that appealed to me even if it was more of a challenge to get there. The guys in the shop have been showing lots of interest and offering suggestions and help along the way. If all goes well today, I'll get the templates made for the glass and drop them off for window fab tomorrow. By this time next week I hope to load it on a trailer and bring it home.
 
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/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time
  • Thread Starter
#39  
Life interfered with fab work at the end of last week. I did make a little progress, but I'm almost a week behind a self-imposed schedule. With temps nearing 70° today it doesn't look like snow will be an issue this week.

Here is a picture of the hand-held saw that was very useful. The big shop saw is an awesome machine, but the little Milwaukee "cold saw" is a better saw for what I'm doing. Fabbing the cab and door frames meant making many cuts of different angles on 1x1 and 3/4x3/4 square 14ga tube. The little saw cut through the 14ga like butter and made nice clean cuts.

The other picture is the right side panel without the door and the metal skin on it. The door will have a band of skin near the center to accomodate the latch and probably a gas liftgate cylinder to control opening.

23 small.jpg 21 small.jpg
 
/ DIY Cab - Finally decided it was time
  • Thread Starter
#40  
Unfortunately, the project is behind schedule. After spending all day this past Saturday and getting some assistance from the "elves" things are turning around. All the strips have been welded in for the support of the glass. I dropped the patterns (cut from 1/4" luan underlayment) with the glass guy on the way home from work today. Here's where it stands as of today. The component pieces are reassembled into something resembling a cab. They had been disassembled for welding the window support strips, metal skin, etc. There are a couple small things remaining and then it will be disassembled again for painting. Should have paint done later in the week. I'm doing the frame and skin gray and the top orange. Picked up a couple cans of gray trunk paint for the inside.

Here's a shot looking at the rear:

25 small.jpg

Here's the front. The lights are only sitting there to see how they look. They were freebies from a de-comissioned plow truck at work:

26 small.jpg

Here's the heater, also just sitting there. Need to do a little plumbing when we reassemble:

27 small.jpg
 

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